Bentley SUV to be named Bentayga

The unusual name comes from the Roque Bentayga, a rugged mountain landscape located on the Canary Islands in Spain.

Revealing the name at the Detroit motor show overnight, Bentley CEO Wolfgang Durheimer said the new "ultra luxury SUV" was in its final test phase.

"Bentayga is a name that reflects what we know our SUV will do better than any other car in the world - combine the best automotive luxury with outstanding performance to take the Bentley experience to new environments," he said.

It's believed the Bentayga, which was originally tipped to be called Falcon, will come equipped with a 12-cylinder petrol engine to begin with, followed by V8 and plug-in hybrid options down the track.

The SUV project made a stuttering start when pointed criticism greeted the EXP 9F concept car at its first airing at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show. Bentley has never tackled a production SUV until now, and believes there is solid demand for such a vehicle.

Durheimer said that previous predictions of annual sales of 3000 units for the SUV "could be conservative". According to reports, the company has already received expressions of interest from 4000 serious buyers.

Durheimer confirmed the Bentley SUV would be fully revealed in 2015, ahead of entering production in 2016.